How Was Drew Rasmussen Left Off MLB Network's Top 25 Pitchers?

The Tampa Bay Rays have a problem. 

Despite being the best team in the American League after their recent seven-game winning streak, some prominent figures in baseball continue to disrespect the players on the roster. 

Especially the pitching staff. 

Earlier this week, Dan Plesac of MLB Network released his Top 25 starting pitchers in baseball. And although some Rays players made the list, the analyst had one glaring omission.

The list did not include Drew Rasmussen. 

Rasmussen has done more than put himself in the American League Cy Young conversation. He's making a legitimate case to be viewed as one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.

The Rays right-hander continues to stack dominant outing after dominant outing, and Sunday's performance only strengthened his resume. Rasmussen tossed six shutout innings, allowing just three hits while striking out five. It also extended an incredible stretch in which he has allowed just one earned run over his last 27 innings.

Rasmussen owns a 2.45 ERA, the eighth-best mark in baseball, as well as an 0.87 WHIP through 92 innings this season, and it's not just some flash in the pan. He has been one of the most consistent pitchers this last half-decade. Since 2021, he has posted the second-lowest ERA among all starting pitchers with at least 500 innings, trailing only Shohei Ohtani.

Not bad company. 

To be fair to Plesac, the list did include Nick Martinez 9th and Shan McClanahan at 12, but the argument that Rasmussen belongs ahead of them is more sound than leaving him off completely. He is currently a top-3 frontrunner for the best award in baseball and continues to dominate on the mound, with three Rays pitchers potentially in Philadelphia for the All-Star Game. 

Health was always the biggest question surrounding Rasmussen. Now that he's finally putting together a full season, he's proving what the Rays have believed all along. He's not just an All-Star-caliber arm. He's one of the premier pitchers in baseball and deserves to be mentioned alongside the game's biggest names. And to be missing from a list of 25 pitchers considered to be the best in MLB must be a mistake.